Neural circuits for multisensory integration

Abstract

Primary sensory cortices process and transfer features of sensory information into higher cortical areas. Spatio-temporal activation of primary sensory cortices is an initial step of multisensory perception, and we often experience enhanced or illusory perception due to the matched or non-matched stimuli between sensory modalities. Here I present our recent findings on the possible mechanisms of sensory integration and modulation. Our results suggest that there are critical brain circuits involved in integration of the sensory information depending on the context of behavioral states of animal.